I had to read this twice because I couldn’t believe the audacity. A software engineer is being forced by her in laws treat wife like maid situation despite working full-time and caring for a toddler. Meanwhile, her husband stays conveniently silent whenever his parents throw their tantrums.
When In Laws Treat Wife Like Maid: The Backstory
Our protagonist is a software engineer living with her husband’s parents in India. She works from home while caring for her 2-year-old child. However, the in-laws have turned her into their personal servant with a daily list of “DIL duties.”
These duties include touching their feet every morning like some twisted attendance ritual. Furthermore, they dump all household responsibilities on her despite having hired help. The housekeeper only handles basic cleaning tasks.
The In Laws Treat Wife Like Maid Nightmare
Every single day, she handles cooking, dishes, groceries, kitchen management, and childcare on top of her software engineering job. As a result, she works double shifts while getting zero appreciation. Moreover, weekends offer no relief from the endless chore demands.
When she dares to say she’s unwell and needs rest, they treat her like a criminal. In fact, they actually called her parents to complain about her, as if she’s a misbehaving child in boarding school. Eventually, she reached her breaking point and confronted them directly.
The confrontation resulted in complete silence from the in-laws. Meanwhile, her husband supports her privately but goes quiet whenever his parents start sulking because he “doesn’t want more drama.”
What Reddit Said
Most people immediately identified this as a husband problem rather than just an in-law issue. However, they also pointed out that even by Indian cultural standards, this level of entitlement is completely abnormal.
Some suggested she use her financial independence as leverage, threatening to walk out unless changes are made. In addition, many recommended marriage counseling to address her husband’s spineless behavior.
A few commenters shared their own experiences, warning about the long-term health consequences of this treatment. Furthermore, they emphasized how this situation breeds generational trauma that will affect her child.
The Verdict
Overall verdict: OP is absolutely NTA (Not the Asshole). Nevertheless, she needs to address her husband’s refusal to stand up to his parents before this in laws treat wife like maid situation destroys her health and marriage completely. This story perfectly illustrates how cultural traditions can be weaponized to justify abuse.
For more stories about toxic family dynamics, check out our family drama and AITA stories collections.
From r/AmItheAsshole (1,039 upvotes)